Clutch mechahism



G. D. PARKER. CLUTCH MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT-16,1918.

Patented June 24,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTORNE Y5.

G. D. PARKER. CLUTCH MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED cm. 16. 1919.

Patented June 24, 1919.

' IN V EN TOR.

Qww 671475 A TTORNE Y5.

WITNESS:

wz'im nrrED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented M024, 1919.

Applicationfiled October 16, 1918. Serial No. 258,335.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and Stat of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch Mechanism, of which the following 1s a specification.

back movement of this upper flight which,

also causes a slight rearward rotation of the conveyer belt supporting drum. In the clutch constructions heretofore employed whereby the intermittent operation of the conveyer is accomplished complicated mechanisms have been employed to provide a complete disengagement of the clutch elements prior tothe sagging movement of the upper flight of the belt in order to overcome the jerking of the conveyer on thesubsequent startin thereof and when this saggin portion 0 the conveyer is picked up.

'fhe present invention relates to a simple clutch construction controlled by the positioned receptacles whereby the clutch members are completely disengaged when de- .sired and the upper conveyer flight is capable of a slight sagging motion without causing the engagement or operating contact of the clutch elements whereby a slight movement of the driving member. of the clutch is permitted prior to the connecting of the same with the driven element on the next sue-- ceeding operation of the conveyer.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

To more fully comprehend the inven- .tion reference is directed to the drawings,

wherein,

Figure 1 illustrates a view in side elevation of the preferred embodiment of my invention, illustrating the clutch in section on line 1' 1 of Fig. 2 the clutch being illus trated in disengaged position owing to the operation of the receptacle operated clutch trip arm by a filled receptacle.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the clutch release collar and driving clutch member taken on line 33 of Fig. l viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4c is a verticalsectional view, illustrating thearrangement of the driving clutch member, the driven member and the clutch release collar, the elements being in a position whereby the clutch is released.

Fig. 5 is a detailed view in elevation partly in section of the driving clutch member taken on line 55 of Fig. 4, viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a'detailed view in elevation of the clutch members, illustrating the interconnccting pawl disconnecting the drive and driven members, permitting the disengagement of the clutch members.

fteferring more particularly to the several views of the drawings, wherein like charac-- ters of reference designate corresponding parts, 1, indicates a suitable operating stabars 5 of which are connected at intervals by the rotatably connected supporting rolls 6. The said bars 5 are supported by standards 6' and at the forward end of said runway suitable brackets 7 depend from said side bars, and rotatably mounted in the same and extending transversely beneath said bars is a shaft 8. Mounted on the shaft 8 is a supporting roll or drum 9 around which passes a suitable conveyer belt 10 on the upper flight of which the filled receptacles as delivered to the runway rest with their ends in meeting relation.

Owing to the interval of time required to operate on the filled receptacles, as for in-' stance in applying the covers thereto, it is I a flat face or recess 11,

necessary to intermittently interrupt the opvided with a semi-circular depression 12 in which is received the cylindrical end 13 of a pawl 14. The'recess 11 is of a width approximately one-half of the width of the permit the member 10, and is of suflicient depth as to reception of the pawl 14 therein without the end thereof extending beyond the surface of the member 10. otatably mounted on the projecting end of the shaft '8 beyond the memberlO, is a suitable driving clutch member 15 formed on its inner surface with a circular recess 16 for receiving a portion of the member 10,.said member being retained on the clutch by a suitable collar 17; The member 15 is provided i bell crank with a toothed flange 15' constituting a driving gear. The periphery of the recess 16 of the member 15 is formed at suitable points, illustrated in the drawings as diametrically disposed, with pawl receiving and engaging recesses 18, having beveled "side walls 19, and into which the pawl 14 is forced by a spring 20 when the driving clutch member 15 and the driven clutchj-member 10 are rotated in unison in the direction of the arrow, Fig; 1 of the drawings, to 0pera.te the Surrounding the member 10 and capable of movement longitudinally thereof'isa suitable clutch release. collar 21, from the peripheral edge of which extends a clutch release collar arm 22 provided in its outer end with an arcuate slot-23 which is guided in itsmovement by a pin 24 carried by a bracket 25 attached to one .of the side tars 5, said arm being normall'yretained with the pin 24 contacting with the upper end of the slot 23 by'a coiled spring 26 secured in its lower end to one of the supports 6. The clutch release collar 21 is formed on its outer face adjacent its inner peripheral surface with the pawl releasing recesses 28, illustrated as three in number, and each is formed with the side Walls 29 which converge toward the outer surface of said collar. The peripheral surface of said collar 21 is formed with an annular groove 29, into w ried by the clutch release yoke 31 formed on the end of one arin of a bell-crank 32. The 32 pivots on a vertically disposed pin 33 carried ,by an arm 34 depending from one of the side bars 5 and to the outer end of the free arm of the bell-crankj32 is seing beneath the one of which is proich projects the fingers 30, carcured one end of an operating spring 35 attached as at 36 to the underside of one of the side bars. Connecting at one end mid- ,Way of the length of the free arm of the bell-crank 32, is one end of a link 37, extendrollers 6 to a point adjacent the discharge end of the runway where the same connects as at 38 with the lower end of a receptacle operated clutch trip arm- 39, pivotally supported as at 40, by a bracket, 41, extending transversely of and connected tothe underside of the said bars 5 The upper end of the arm 39 projects between certain of the rollers 6, and is curved in a direction of the travel of the receptacle, and

said end is adapted to be engaged by the successively propelled receptacles to throw the, clutch into disengaged position. The parts being assembled as in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and ,power' being applied to the. gear 15- to rotate the same in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawings, the device operates in the following manner: The filled receptacles A as delivered to the feed end of the endless conveyer 10, are carried thereby to the operating station and are discharged from the end of the belt 10 onto the runway adjacent the same. In carrying out this operation, the spring 35, acting on the free end of bellcrank 32, moves the clutch release collar 21 inwardly on the driven clutch member 10 and from the driving clutch member 15 permitting the outward movement of the pawl 14, to enable the same to engage a pawl engaging recess 18 on the driving clutch member 15 thus causin a simultaneous rotation of the driving mem er 15, driven member 10 and shaft 8, which through the roll or drum 9 operates the belt 10. in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. On the conveying of the foremost. receptacle A to'a point on. the runway adjacent the station 1, said receptacle contacts with the upper curved end of the receptacle operated clutch trip arm 39, which through the link 37 and bell-crank 32 causes an outward movement of the clutch release collar 21 on the driven clutch member 10 toward the driving clutch member 15, which operation forces the outer face of the collar 21 forward with the pawl releasing recesses 28 therein into contact with the inner edge of the 'pawl 14 and maintains such contact until the end of the pawl falls opposite one of said recesses 28, at which time further outward movement of the collar 21 is per mitted. The member 10 at this time continues to operate through the member 15 and pawl 14, however, owing to the positioning of the collar 21, over the pawl 14, further rotation of the member 10 and pawl causes a frictional contact between the free end of the pawl 14' and the beveled edge of the recess 28 of the collar 21 positioned over the same, which frictional contact causes a slight movement of the collar 21 with the rotating member 10, said movement being'retarded by the tension of the sprin 26. The rotation of the collar 21 with the member 10 is limited by the pin 24 operating within. the slot 23 and during this gradual movement the free end of the pawl 14 is gradually moved upwardly on the beveled face 19 of its engaged recess 18 until it is entirely clear or the same at which time the driving connection between the member 15 and member 10 is broken and the member 15 is permitted. to freely rotate on the shaft 8. -At the timefof breaking thedriving connection between the members 15 and 10 the frictional contact of the pawl 14 on the beveled wall of its overlying recess 28 is removed permitting the spring 26 to rotate the collar 21 from a position as in Fig. 6 to that in Fig. 3, the pin 24 contacting with the end of the slot 23 1imiting the movement of the collar. This movement of the collar, as it will be observed, moves the recesses 28 angularly about the axis of the clutch, and also permits a slight rear movement of the shaft 8 caused by the sagging ofthe upper flight of the belt 10 without the free end of the pawl 1.4: lying opposite the beveled surface of'the recess 28,

which has been positioned over the same during this disengagement from the wall of its engaged recess 18, thus on the next inward movement of the collar 21 away from the vmember 15 due to the manual removal of the foremost receptacle A over the arm 39, the free end of the pawl 14 will be forced outwardly by the spring 20, and will ride a slight distance on the inner peripheral surface of the recess 16 before engaging one of the recesses, thereby overcomin any jerking movement on the starting of t e shaft 8 to rotate and the taking up of the'slack in the upper flight of the belt 10.

Having'thus described my invention what I claim is;

1. In combination with a driven member, a drive member positioned thereon and freely rotatable relati vely to the same, a

clutch-pawl carried by the driven member and adapted for projecting outwardly beyond the surface of the same into engagemen-t with'the driving member for uniting said members to cause a simultaneous rotation thereof, a clutch pawl release collar carried by the driven member and capable of movement to and from said pawl .and of slight rotative movement on said member, said collar provided with a recess for the reception of a portion of said pawl when the same is in engaging position, said pawl adapted when received in said recess and on the rotation of its supporting member to contact with the wall of said recess, means for retarding the rotation of said collar when engaged by said pawl whereby the said pawl is disengaged from said dri-ving member, said retarding means rotating said members, a recessed clutch collar cooperat-i ing with said members and capable of move ment to overlie said pawl during the rotative movement thereof to contact with'the same to release said pawl from one of said members whereby one of said members is capable of rotative movement independently of the other and means for moving said collar axially of one of said members to remove the recess thereof from a position overlying said pawl on the release of said clutch mem tation, a clutch collarsupported on the driven member and limited in its rotative movement therewith and provided on its interior with a recess for receiving the free end of the pawl, said collar capable of movement toward said pawl to permit the re-- ception of the pawl therein on the registering of the projecting end of said pawl and said recess, the contact of said pawl with the wall of said recess on the continued rotation of said drive member causing the movement of saidv pawl to disconnect said drive and driven members. 4. Ina conveyer system wherein an endless conveyer operates around a driving roll supported on a shaft, means for driving said shaft including a driven member fixed to rotate with said shaft and formed on its periphery with a depression, an outwardlyspring-pressed clutch-pawl positioned within said depression, a driving clutch member freely rotatable on said shaft and formed with a flange overlying said driven clutch member in slight spaced relation and overlying a portion of said pawl, said flange provided on its inner periphery with a recess for the reception of said pawl whereby said drive and driven clutch members operate in unison, a clutch collar supported by said driven member and within which said member rotates, saidcollar capable of movement toward and from said pawl and of slight rotative movement relatively to said driven clutch member, said collar provided on its inner periphery with a clutch pawl receiving recess opening at the side of said collar adjacent said pawl and adapted on the movement of said collar toward said drive clutch member and the alinement of said recess in the drive clutch flange with the pawl seated therein to receive a portion of said pawl projecting beyond said flange, means associated with the collar for retarding the rotation thereof with said pawl whereby said pawl is forced by frictional contact with the collar recess from the recess in said flange, disengaging; said drive and driven-members, said collar retarding means'rotating said collar on the disengagement of said pawl a short distance reversely to the rotation of saiddrive clutch member, andmeans for arresting the rotative movement of said collar in either direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE D. PARKER. 

